Ahmed El-Salamouny

Surf in Rio

On Arpoador beach, located between Copacabana and Ipanema, waves are ideal for surfing. The pictures were shot using a tripod and shutter speeds between one to two seconds.

Beach Life

Beach in Rio is like the living room of the Cariocas. People are always active either playing soccer, volleyball, surfing, or practicing capoeira. Its a very lively place, where vendors sell Mate tea, sandwiches, bikinis and soccer balls.

Carnival

Carnival in the Sambodromo is one the most beautiful shows in the world. It is a thrilling mixture of rhythm, colors and emotion. Having the chance to be sent to shoot photos for a German newspaper, allowed me to be very close to the dancers and musicians.

Sports

Rio is a city which never stands still. Everybody is always on the move, jogging and playing different sports. Handstand artist Miguel combines his acrobatic poses with the magnificent view of São Conrado beach. Paragliding from Pedra da Gávea is a thrilling activity and the guys who jump from the cliffs at Copacabana don't mind the height.

Rio Moves

The idea behind Rio Moves is to capture Architecture in a new way. The movement of the person in the foreground dissolves the graphic patterns of the objects and adds an eye-catching moment. The locations were MAM (Museum of Modern Art), Ministerio de Educação e Cultura, Teatro Municipal, Ministerio da Fazenda, Monumento National and Estação Leopoldina, an old and abandoned railway station.

Music

Music is everywhere in Rio. In downtown neighborhoods like Lapa and Gamboa one can listen to the best Brazilian musicians.

Skate

Jorge Cupim is a passionate skater and he is also an artist. Sometimes he even skates on his own graffitis. The meeting points of the skaters in Rio are Posto Nove in Ipanema and at Praça XV in downtown.

Bhering Ballet

In the harbour district there is an old chocolate factory, called Bhering, which is now a cultural center. The building has its own charm with the original machinery and large spaces. We made a shooting there with two dancers who studied at Rio's City Theater.

Rhythms and patterns

Rhythms in Rio are not only found in music, but also in the landscape and in architecture. The iconic waves on the sidewalk in Copacabana by landscape architect Burle Marx, the row of palmtrees in the Botanical garden, patterns in the sand...

Capoeira

It is a difficult task to shoot photos of capoeiristas at the platform of the city park in Niteroi on a sunny day. It is always full of visitors, because it is one of the best views of Rio. But Brazilians are friendly, so every time I told them there would be action, they willingly stepped aside to let me shoot the photos.

Portrait

Rio has a lot of wonderful locations to shoot portraits. Whether in Floresta da Tijuca, Parque Lage, at Rio Fashion Show or at the beach.